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2025 Predictions: The Year of 'Monetize Everything'
Prediction #3 for 2025, and I'm only giving you my spiciest. Just to remind you, for the next two Mondays (two already happened), I will present my top four 2025 predictions and the signals I'm seeing that are pushing me in that direction.
2025 Predictions: AI Content Fails
Look. It's Q4. I'm busy. You're busy. Let's cut the longwinded opinion round-ups and focus on what we really want: my reasonably accurate annual predictions of what the next year will bring in the creator economy. For the next four Mondays, I will present my top four 2025 predictions along with the signals I'm seeing that are pushing me in that direction.
A $75 Billion Black Friday 🖤
By all metrics, this Black Friday 2024 has been a whopping success. $75 billion is an astounding number, shattering last year's record by over 5%. And $11 billion came from US ecommerce. But wait? Isn't the economy bad? What's happening here? I wish there was an easy answer, but this is going to require us to dive in.
Twitch-pocalyse 👿
Twitch streamers have seen November 2024 revenue drop by as much as 95%. Any longtime creator economy folks know this pattern: welcome to another Adpocalpyse! If that word sends chills down your spine, then you, much like me, remember 2017 when YouTube ad revenue suddenly dropped by 70%, leaving execs in charge of large networks (sheepishly raises hand) becoming their company's sacrificial lambs. Will Twitch recover?
Jake Paul Punches a 58-Year-Old 🥊
Influencer sporting events feel old hat these days, but the fact that Netflix streamed the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight live made this a phenomenon. Tyson is a legendary, fierce competitor. Jake has established himself as a villain in every sense of the word. So the fact that 60 million households worldwide tuned into this big-money event isn't a surprise. So, where does this leave the future of live sports?
So... What Happens to TikTok Now? ⏰
Trump didn't just win the US Presidential election, he won by a lot. By now you've heard every hot take and creator economy expert patting themselves on the back for being part of the first 'influencer election', so I'll keep that to a minimum. Instead, let's talk about TikTok, which is supposed to be banned in the US in two months. But Trump made keeping TikTok a campaign promise. Let's play out both sides.
YouTube's $20 Decillion Fine 💸
Russia hit Google with a 35 digit fine, which I know is a 'decillion'. And yes, that's more than the total wealth of the world. Or 100 billion trillion times the wealth of Elon Musk. And although Google has pulled out of Russia, this symbolic gesture, a result of YouTube enforcing it's terms of service and removing Russian propaganda channels, has echos of the US TikTok ban. Are we doomed to return to non-global social media?
Rosanna Pansino vs MrBeast 🥊
For the past 13 years, Rosanna Pansino has been a relatively inoffensive food creator, building her empire to 14.5m subscribers. This year, something changed. She started posting a lot of videos accusing Jimmy 'MrBeast' Donaldson of being dangerous. Then, 9 days ago, she had a viral video showing mold inside of a Lunchly snack (a Lunchables competitor by MrBeast, KSI, and Logan Paul). And now, just yesterday, Rosanna Pansino said she reported MrBeast to the FBI. How did we get here?
Meta Can't Stop Firing People 🤕
Has been firing 10k+ employees per year since 2022, and more were just announced. In the same period of time, the stock has climbed over 133% reaching a valuation of over $1T. Record revenue is now topping $40b per quarter. Is Zuck's "year of efficiency" setting the standard for running efficient scaled tech companies, or will Meta collapse under the weight of its per-employee expectations?
Kai Cenat Boosts the Big Mac 🍔
McDonald's gets Gen Z more than any fast food brand. They've collabed with streetwear brands, had multiple viral TikTok trends (Grimace shakes anyone?), and now, launched a Chicken Big Mac with Kai Cenat, one of the coolest streamers on Twitch. What does this mean for your clients and the future of brand partnership?
